Abstract: Biomass derived from trees and crops is a promising renewable resource, thanks to their abundance and accessibility, for sustainable aviation fuels. However, the commercialization of bioenergy faces significant challenges, particularly in the handling of granular biomass materials due to unstable flow and jamming in equipment like hoppers and feeders. Addressing these challenges requires a mechanistic understanding of the rheological and constitutive behaviors of milled biomass under various industrial conditions. This presentation explores the mechanical and rheological behavior of milled woody biomass across multiple scales and flow regimes. Following an introduction to the bioenergy industry's logistics and the handling challenges of biomass feedstocks, the discussion will focus on laboratory investigations of fundamental physical properties, hopper flow behavior, and inclined plane tests, complemented by finite element method simulations. These findings contribute to optimizing industrial hopper designs - currently guided by principles established in the 1960s for non-compressible particles - for the unique characteristics of biomass materials. This study promotes the fundamental understanding of milled biomass flow physics across various scales, fosters high-fidelity numerical prediction of the constitutive responses of compressible particles, and enables the development of the next-generation trouble-free biomass handling equipment. By reducing the cost and increasing the safety of feedstock processing, these advancements pave the way for a more sustainable bioenergy future.

Bio: Dr. Yimin Lu earned his Ph.D. degree in Geosystems Engineering and dual M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering and Computational Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering at Texas Tech University (TTU), and holds joint appointments with the National Wind Institute at TTU and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Dr. Lu's research specializes in granular mechanics and rheology, particle-fluid interaction, and coupled processes related to granular materials, with applications primarily in renewable energy, geohazards, and coastal resilience. His interdisciplinary expertise bridges fundamental mechanics and applied engineering, advancing solutions to critical challenges in sustainable energy security and infrastructure resilience facing climate change.